The cost of things: April 2012 + Lifetime Costs of Pets

Tags

betagen, budgeting, chondroiton, comfortis, glucosamine, honest kitchen, lick granulomas, supplements, vet

This is part of my ongoing effort to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows. Previous posts in the series can be found under the category of finances.

The Cost of (Pet) Things for April 2012:

• Food: $90
• Treats: $14
• Accessories and misc: $0
• Grooming: $0
• Vet & Medical: $171
• TOTAL: $275 (running average for 2012 ~ $184 / month)

Food-wise, two purchases puffed up this figure. Earlier in the month, a mild playtime injury revealed that Bowdu was no longer as young and limber as he used to be, so we are introducing canine glucosamine, chondroiton, and MSM to his diet. At $12.99 for an 8 fl. oz bottle of K9 Glucosamine from Liquid Health from my local pet store, it’s certainly not as inexpensive as I had hoped it would be, particularly if we will be adding this long-term. Bowdu’s condition did improve with both time and supplements, so I think we should keep it up while I research other options.

Also on the tab was an order from Honest Kitchen to make use of a free shipping coupon that we got. I haven’t even dipped into the box of Keen or two canisters of Sparkle yet (still working through a portion that I had saved in the freezer from the end of last summer). But this should be plenty to last us for a couple months…

Obviously, the other major category this month was veterinary bills. To prepare for summer fleas, we restocked on Comfortis, purchased directly from my vet. I have found that my vet’s price on this is more competitive than the online pharmacies because they give one free dose with every six-pack purchased, and they frequently offer mail-in rebates ($10 off this time) that are only available for prescriptions purchased directly from veterinarians. Through my vet, it ends up being about $11.22 a dose for each 20 ~ 40 pound dog (compared to $15 / dose at Pet Meds or Drs. Foster and Smith).

And finally, there was Bowpi’s vet visit for her lick granuloma (which still remains, but she isn’t bothering it as much anymore). I typically itemize my vet bills here to give a sense of just how expensive veterinary care in the California Bay Area can be, so here is what our bill amounted to:

• Office Call: Examination, $56 $50.40
• Cytology: In House, $76 $13.50
• Betagen topical spray (60 mL), $28.53
• TOTAL: $92.43

On Wednesday, students get discounted services at this particular vet — hence, the different prices seen above. It is always a shock for me to walk in and out of an appointment with a bill that’s less than three digits! Hey, we’ll take it!

Finally, sharing a link scooped via Doggerel: The Lifetime Costs of a Pet, broken down by type of pet, from fish to feathered and furred species. Mint.com says the total lifetime cost for a single dog is over $25K! How do they break it down? You can take a look for yourself and see if you agree…

Provided by Mint.com